Ritchie welcomes ban on practice of discarding fish

SDLP South Down MP Margaret Ritchie has given a ‘cautious’ welcome to the EU’s move to ban the practice of discarding fish from fishing vessels.
Speaking following the meeting of the Westminster EFRA committee she stated, “The practice of discards and the associated waste was a scandal and one that was partially driven by an ineffective quota regime under the Common Fisheries Policy.
“This agreement will see the discarding of edible fish banned for stocks including herring and whiting from January 2014.
“It is encouraging that there has been recognition that there is a need for a workable timescale for implementing the measures and that there will be a degree of flexibility with the new arrangements.
“It is worth recognising that in recent years fishing fleets in my own constituency, in Ardglass and Kilkeel, have made many improvements to gear in order to reduce their wasted catch as much as possible and that fishermen dislike having to waste catch as much as the public.
Ritchie added, “While this decision sets out a clear pathway towards ending discards, which is to be welcomed, the Commission must be clear on the specifics and on how fishing fleets will be supported in implementing the measures.
“The Commission have accepted that there needs to be consideration given to different survival rates between species for discarded fish and they need to ensure that they clarify this based on the available scientific evidence.”

This website does not share personal information with third parties nor do we store any information about your visit other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings.

We are not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on 16/01/2017. If you have any questions feel free to contact Newry Times by emailing editor@newrytimes.com